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Push is on to build 30,000 new flats

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SANDWICH class housing, first proposed by Governor Chris Patten in October 1992 to subsidise middle-income families, is advancing at full speed and should account for 20,000 new flats by 2001.

In his policy address in October 1995, the Governor pledged to accelerate the programme and increase the longer-term target by 50 per cent to 30,000 units over the next eight years.

The Hong Kong Housing Society (HKHS), which manages and develops the housing scheme, is struggling against time to reach the ambitious target.

Sandwich class refers to families who have a monthly income of between $25,001 and $50,000.

These families are ineligible for public housing schemes, but are unable to buy their own homes in the private market due to high property prices.

The Government estimated that there were about 45,000 sandwich class households in Hong Kong.

Under the scheme, the HKHS is able to buy land from the Government at 50 per cent of the market value so that it can build housing and sell the units at below-market prices to qualified applicants.

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